Page 292 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

musical nationalism the musical expression of ethnic and linguistic distinctions through the use of such indigenous folk elements as folk songs, native scales, dance rhythms, and local instrumental sounds as well as through the use of national subjects for program music or opera
musical template a set of musical expectations that each of us engages as we listen to a piece; it reminds us how we think the music ought to go, what sounds good and what bad
mute any device that muffles the sound of a musical instrument; on a trumpet, for example, it is a cup that is placed inside the bell of the instrument
Neoclassicism early-twentieth-century style which emphasized classical forms and smaller ensembles of the sort that had existed in the Baroque and Classical periods
New Orleans jazz an early style of jazz that emphasized improvisation by a small group of soloists (cornet, clarinet, and trombone) and a rhythm section
ninth chord a chord spanning nine letters of the scale and constructed by superimposing four intervals of a third
nocturne a slow, introspective type of music, usually for piano, with rich harmonies and poignant dissonances intending to convey the mysteries of the night
octave the interval comprising the first and eighth tones of the major and minor diatonic scale; the sounds are quite similar because the frequency of vibration of the higher pitch is exactly twice that of the lower
octave displacement a process used in constructing a melody whereby a simple, nearby interval is made more distant, and the melodic line more disjunct, by placing the next note up of down and octave
OdetoJoy AndieFreudebypoetFriedrich von Schiller, set to music by Beethoven as a hymn in honor of universal brotherhood and used in the finale of his Symphony No. 9
opera a dramatic work in which the actors sing some or all of their parts; it usually makes use of elaborate stage sets and costumes; the term literally means “work”
opera buffa (Italian for “comic opera”) an opera on a light, often domestic subject, with tuneful melodies, comic situations, and a happy ending
opera seria a genre of opera that dominated the stage during the Baroque era, making use of serious historical or mythological subjects, da capo arias, and a lengthy overture
ophicleide a low brass instrument originating in military bands about the time of the French Revolution; the precursor of the tuba
opus Latin for “work”; the term adopted by composers to enumerate and identify their compositions
oratorio a large-scale genre of sacred music involving an overture, arias, recitatives, and choruses, but sung, whether in a theater or a church, without costumes or scenery
orchestra in Western classical music, an ensemble of musicians, organized around a core of strings, with added woodwinds and brasses, playing under a leader
orchestral score a composite of musical lines of all of the instruments of the orchestra and from which a conductor conducts
orchestration the art of assigning to the various instruments of the orchestra, or of a chamber ensemble, the diverse melodies, accompaniments, and counterpoints of a musical composition
Ordinary of the Mass the five sung portions of the Mass for which the texts are invariable. It includes the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei
ostinato Italian for “obstinate;” a musical figure, motive, melody, harmony, or rhythm that is repeated again and again
overture an introductory movement usually for orchestra, that precedes an opera, oratorio, or dance suite
“Pathétique” Sonata one of his most famous compositions, Beethoven titled this piano sonata in order to suggest the passion and pathos he felt within it
pavane slow, gliding Renaissance dance in duple meter performed by couples holding hands
pedal point a note, usually in the bass, sustained or continually repeated for a period of time while the harmonies change around it
pentatonic scale a five-note scale found often in folk music and non-Western music
pianissimo term indicating a dynamic level of “very soft”
piano in musical notation, a dynamic mark indicating “soft”
pianoforte the original name of the piano piccolo a small flute; the smallest and
highest- pitched woodwind instrument
pipe organ large, complex instrument comprised of keyboards and ranks of carefully tuned pipes; when a key is depressed, air is forced through a pipe, thereby generating pitch
pitch the relative position, high or low, of a musical sound
pizzicato the process whereby a performer plucks the strings of an instrument rather than bowing them
plainsong another term for Gregorian chant
polychord the stacking of one triad or seventh chord on another so they sound simultaneously
polymeter two or more meters sounding simultaneously
polyphony a musical texture involving two or more simultaneously sounding lines; the lines are often independent and create counterpoint
polyrhythm two or more rhythms sounding simultaneously
popular music a broad category of music designed to please a large section of the general public; sometimes used in contradistinction to more “serious” or more “learned” classical music
Postmodernism an all-inclusive style in the arts that developed after 1945 and in which almost anything goes, with all works valued equally
prepared piano a piano outfitted with screws, bolts, washers, erasers, and bits of felt and plastic to transform the instrument from a melodic one to a percussive one
270 glossary
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